I'm looking for a mid range replacement window for my bathroom: white vinyl, double hung, screen, obscure glass 27"x46". I want it to have a decent u-factor, SHGC, and AL for cold climate in the suburbs of NYC. I'd like to pay about $300-$400. What brands should I be looking for an what is the pricing?

I've tried home depot and some local retailers and they can't give me the facts I want. So I guess there windows are not good at all. I'm trying windowrama next. They carry simonton. But in case they don't have good numbers, does anyone know any other reputable retailers in the area?

I'm looking for just one window now, but eventually I'll replace another 11 or so, so I want to make sure I find the right company now to deal with.

At that price, is it safe to assume that you are looking for product only (without installation)? Okna, Softlite, Sunrise, and Polaris should all be available in your market. You can contact the manufacturers directly and ask for a referral, or check with local building supply companies. Some dealers will sell cash and carry, but many do not either by choice or by manufacturer restrictions. All of those products have lines that will meet the high level of performance that you are looking for.

Also I went to windowrama today and the salesman mentioned that Loe3 causes the window to look green. Is this true?

They offered me a United 800 series window with "Smarter Low E" and argon for $200. He would not give me the energy star ratings. I looked online and found the ratings for all of there windows, but none said "smarter Low E." Their window with LowE + argon has a u-value of .3 and SHGC of .3. However, their triple Low E with krypton window has a u-value of .2 and SGHC of .26. The salesman also mentioned that United has a lifetime warranty and he kept mentioning they even replaced the window if you threw a rock at it.

I noticed that the energy ratings for both United and Silverline excluded the Air Leakage (or is it Air Infiltration?) rating. Is that something I would have to call in for?

So how is the warranty on the United and is the triple LowE+argon any good?

Every quality vinyl window will have a lifetime warranty (even many poor windows will as a matter of fact). Regarding air infiltration, YES, ask for those numbers and compare them. Wen salesmen are reluctant to provide performance ratings, it typically shows that they are trying to hide poor performance.

Ok so I got a quote for an Okna 400 series with Energy savings package. .28 u factor and .30 SHGC. $240. I told them to bump it up to the deluxe which is foam filled and has .26 u-factor. That would be $275. These are uninstalled prices. So is this a good price for this efficiency level or should I look at other brands?

Also, installation is $150. I have a contractor who installs windows from windowrama who will charge me less than half of that to install. Is there is anything crazy about installing an Okna window vs other windows?

That is a great price. Depending on size and a couple of other options, retail price is $330-$340+...Regarding the install, $150 sounds right for a quality installation. Anybody that would charge less than half that raises some major red flags IMO. Two points on that:

1) If a company offers an inferior product, then they could take that same corner-cutting attitude regarding installation. They piecework "going-rate" for a window install and cap is north of $100+, and that is COST for the dealer. If they are charging you say $70, that means that they are probably paying their installer less than half of that. Cut-rate pay general = cut-rate install quality.

2) ACCOUNTABILITY! I guarantee that if/when you have problems, the installer will say that it is a product issue if he was not the one that supplied it. The vast majority of window problems are installation related, especially when dealing with a quality unit like the Okna. By using one vendor to supply and install the windows, you have one person to call if there are issues, and he has to make it right one way or the other (product or install).

Lastly, no, there is nothing crazy about installing an Okna window. In fact, they are rather "installer-friendly". At the $275 window + $150 install (=$425), you are still at a very aggressive (ie: low) price for that window installed. It is Okna's entry level, however it is still an upper echelon choice. Like an entry level offering from BMW or Mercedes.

Is it "in"the tub? ...if not, how far away is it? .... It is most likely that Anthony is correct unless you have a huge bathroom.

On the installation, I assume that this is some type of side job deal that you have with this installer? ... Either way, to put things in perspective, good installers make $100-$150 + per window on a piecework basis, so I'd still have to say that quality may be a concern, as will the accountability issues that I raised above. Just speaking from experience and giving you window inside the industry, so take it FWIW.

Is your contractor capping the windows?If the window is in the tub (vertical planes of perimeter of tub) it would have to be tempered if the viewable edge of glass is within 60" from the bottom of the tub.

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